A Long Time In Finance

Since 2019, Britain has put itself under a legal obligation to decarbonise its economy by 2050. But do people have any idea what that means, how practical it is and how much it might cost? To get an idea, Neil and Jonathan talked to Richard Halsey, innovation director at the Energy Supply Catapult about how the country is faring on its great decarbonisation crusade.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Richard Halsey.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Hunt says that by taking more risk, UK pension funds can make their members £1,000 a year better off. Sounds interesting, but is it really plausible? And should the government even try to interfere in pension markets? Neil and Jonathan talk to pensions expert John Ralfe about what he really said and didn't say, whether the proposals will make much difference, and what reforms might actually make sense..Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With John Ralfe.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"You could be an H20 Owner." That was the slogan when the water companies were sold off in 1989. But while we glugged the share sale down, the public didn't stay owners for long, and most of the companies were later flushed into the hands of international private equity firms. All we own now is the financial and ecological mess they left behind - one that's looming ever larger in the case of Thames Water. Neil and Jonathan talk to Jonathan Portes, economist and (in his youth) a Treasury civil servant who worked on the water sale about what went wrong with privatisation and how to fix it.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Jonathan Portes.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Energy policy has been one of Britain's great political failures over the past two decades. World leaders in climate pledges, we've failed to create the means to deliver them. And we barely build any green kit. This week's guest, energy expert Nick Butler has an idea for a fresh start. Create a state owned company to drive and fund investments in energy technologies with the aim of promoting green manufacturing in the UK. It sounds bold, but will it work? Jonathan and Neil investigate..Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Nick Butler.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With mortgage rates rising ever higher, it's becoming clear the UK is facing a serious housing correction. But how bad will it be, and on whom will the blow fall hardest? Neil and Jonathan talk to Neal Hudson, housing expert at BuiltSpace, about past crises in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, how this one might compare, and what we might do to soften the blow.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Neal Hudson.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vertical farming has been hailed as the future of agriculture. More sustainable, needing fewer resources such as land and labour, and the capacity to grow crops all year round. So how far can it go and why have so many recently built vertical farms got into financial difficulty? Neil and Jonathan talk to Marcus Whately, chief executive of Grow Up Farms, about the challenges and whether vertical growing can really put a salad in every bowl.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Marcus Whately.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hawks call it decoupling; the more dovish derisking. But it all means the same thing: imposing trade barriers between China and the West. Neil and Jonathan talk to China expert George Magnus about China's 2001 WTO accession, why the West's gamble on trade and democratisation failed, and also whether you can unscramble the trade relationship.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With George Magnus.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After several snoozeworthy decades in which its stock market and economy went nowhere, Japanese shares are testing highs they haven't seen since 1990, just as the country's great asset bubble was declining. There have been plenty of false dawns in the past, but this time, as Japan expert and value investor Alex Kinmont told Neil and Jonathan, it really might be different.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Alex Kinmont.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the outlook for shares cloudier than at any time since the 1970s, it is hard to know whether to be greedy or fearful. In search of enlightenment on this point, Neil and Jonathan talk to veteran investor and author Richard Oldfield about all things investment. These include active fund managers, how to judge them and whether they are worth the money, as well as high fees, ESG and whether the UK is the new Japan.Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With Richard Oldfield.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

England's water utilities have been under fire for leaks and discharging sewage into the rivers, something we are told they don't have the cash for. So why are they paying out huge dividends, which almost tripled last year to £1.4bn? Neil and Jonathan are joined by David Hall, visiting professor at Greenwich university, to peer into the murky world of utility financial flows.Trigger warning: John Stuart Mill, private monopolies and nationalisation are all discussed. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.With David Hall.Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.In association with Briefcase.News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.